Revel Recap: March 17 - 21, 2025
Spark Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
On Monday morning, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a reading of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover and a directed drawing of a leprechaun. A few Sparks also shared some fun stories about leprechaun silliness at their homes over the weekend! On Tuesday, we completed a mindfulness activity called "Stadium Wave." We started with a learner sharing about a time they visited an arena, and all the fans did the wave. The learners crouched in a circle, stood up, and put their hands in the air when it was their turn. We practiced speeding it up, switching directions, and standing in a line. We also tried another variation, where the Sparks held hands and squeezed the hand of the person beside them to pass this movement silently around the circle. The Sparks showed a lot of teamwork to coordinate their movements! We got our hearts pumping on Wednesday with a Tabata, an animal-themed workout. Thursday started with a guest visitor who came to read us the book My Body! What I Say Goes. This book discusses important topics such as feeling safe and unsafe, our body bubble, secrets vs. surprises, and safety networks. On Friday, we started by reading a book about spring, sharing what we like about this season, and writing it down in our gratitude journals. The learners look forward to jumping in puddles, playing in the mud, sunny days, and flowers blooming!
Quest
We launched Quest by asking the learners, "What does it mean when an animal is endangered?" To learn more, we watched a SciShow video with Jessi and Squeaks. This video talked about some animals that are endangered and why. It also spoke about what we can do to help. Over the next two days, we read two powerful stories. The first one is a story of hope called The Last Tiger. This story follows a tiger who lives in a beautiful forest. Over time, climate change begins impacting the forest, and many animals are forced to leave to find food. Soon, the trees in the forest are being cut down, and the tiger sets off to find a new habitat. In the end, she finds a new home filled with clean water, trees, and other animals. She finds a new sense of hope for her future. At the end of the book, the author talks about the impacts of global warming, loss of habitat, deforestation, and poaching. She lists some animals that need help and ways that we can work together to save them. For example, we can spread awareness, use less palm oil, recycle, decrease the amount of paper we use, and reduce the energy we consume. The next day, we read Felina's New Home. This book follows a Florida panther whose forest is starting to shrink. Trees are disappearing, busy highways are being built, and garbage is being left behind. Throughout the book, you see the impact that this has on a variety of animals. Ultimately, humans intervene to move her to a new forest home that will be preserved for future animal generations. With these stories as our inspiration, the Sparks broke into groups over the next few days to research six endangered animals more in-depth. They learned about orangutans, lemurs, tigers, giraffes, pandas, and koalas. They read about these animals and then answered questions such as where they live, why they are endangered, what they like to eat, if they have any predators and other interesting facts. They also worked together to create awareness posters about saving these animals. On Thursday, we explored the impacts of oil spills in the ocean. We watched a video showing us the impact on animals and how they clean the oil. We also watched a clip of marine biologists using DAWN dish soap to help clean animals covered in oil. Afterwards, we completed an experiment. We filled containers with water and marine animals. We added vegetable oil and observed the oil slick on top of the water. Next, we added chickens and feathers to simulate a seabird being exposed to an oil spill. We then tried using different items to remove the oil from the water, including cotton balls and gauze. We then discussed which item removed the most and the least oil. We then took the animals and feathers out and tried to clean them. We added some DAWN dish soap to help! This was a powerful experiment that the learners enjoyed. To wrap the week up, we read Helping Habitats. This book helped us think of further things that we can do to help protect animals and their environments—for example, turning off lights when we leave a room, using bamboo for products such as furniture, having laws against overfishing, planting flowers and trees, and learning about this topic and sharing it! We are excited for our conservationists to share everything they have learned at the Exhibition.
Art
For our guided art workshop, the learners created a background using watercolour paint and paper. They then traced an endangered animal stencil onto black paper to make a beautiful silhouette art piece.
Geography
Australia is a beautiful country with some unique animals! We learned about some interesting and cute animals that call this place home, such as kangaroos, echidnas, emus, wombats, possums, Tasmanian devils, koalas, dingoes, and platypus. Many Sparks commented how they would like to see these animals someday! We then read an information text to learn more about koalas before completing colouring cards of various Australian animals.
Math Lab
Group One started Math Lab by counting to 100 while following along with a number chart for a visual tool. Next, this group was introduced to the golden beads. This material uses beads to represent units, tens, hundreds, and thousands. It provides a concrete and tactile introduction to the decimal system and place value. First, we looked at the unit bead and noticed that it was one single bead. Then, we looked at a ten bar and counted how many units were in a ten. Next, we counted the tens in a hundred square, seeing ten tens in a hundred. Lastly, we explored how many hundreds there are in a thousand cube, realizing there were ten hundreds in a thousand. The learners then worked on making various amounts and exploring this material. We will be expanding on our knowledge in the weeks to come!
Group Two continued their study of telling time, focusing this week on quarter-hour intervals. They practiced counting by fives to understand the markings on an analogue clock better. After that, the Sparks were given eight different times to write on a clock. To tie in with the upcoming spring season, they created their own flower clocks. We encourage families to practice this skill at home by asking their learner to set the clock for everyday activities, like dinner or bedtime.
Reader/Writer
Our Group One learners continue to work hard on learning their sight words. This week, we focused on the word to. We then reviewed what vowels are in preparation for our CVC word game. The learners were shown a CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word and needed to identify the missing middle sound. They would write the word on their whiteboard and hold it up to see if they spelled it correctly. It was an excellent writing, reading, and spelling activity!
Group Two engaged in a game of Sight Word Splat. The Guide would say a word, and the first to splat it with their swatter would get the word. The first learner to eight words would win. Afterward, they wrote sentences with each word they splatted. We used our CAPS as a reference when writing complete sentences. Next week, we will continue working on complete sentences, leading them into story writing following storytelling elements.
French
On Monday and Tuesday, we worked on a Saint Patrick's Day craft where the learners coloured and cut out a leprechaun to review body parts and clothing words in French. Then, on Wednesday, we started learning about shapes - cercle (circle), carré (square), rectangle, oval, and triangle. Then, the learners played a board game focused on fruits and vegetables to review their vocabulary words. We played games in the gym on Thursday to review fruits, vegetables, and colours. Madame Marianne asked questions such as, "I am looking for a red fruit" or "I am looking for a green vegetable," encouraging learners to respond using their vocabulary and finding the right picture.
Additional Highlights
This week, we had four more wonderful visits from our Mystery Readers! The Sparks enjoy hearing the facts and trying to guess who will visit. Thank you so much for sharing your time and stories with us!
Discovery Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
One of our learners taught us about the History of St. Patrick's Day and Ireland for Launch on Monday! St. Patrick's Day is all about celebrating Saint Patrick and his bringing Christianity to Ireland. We celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17th because he died approximately 461 CE. The Rebels organized their mindful colouring on Tuesday morning, playing a calming mix from Apple Music. Then, for Launch, we met with the rest of the school to catch the latest Rundown from March Mammal Madness - the Same and Different category. Wednesday morning the Rebels called in Ms. Kaitlin to help them solve the daily Wordle, guessing the word correctly on their sixth and final guess! For Launch, we worked on our Joy Project, where the Rebels are combining their interests with helping the world. The Rebels are already planning a beach clean up and garbage walks to clean up the neighbourhood. On Thursday, learners had the choice to do yoga with Ms. Mel or meditate with Ms. Amy. Then we met as a school to see the Rundown for March Mammal Madness' Tuxedo Style battles. For Feel-Good Friday, we warmed up the Boomwhackers and then played Walk The Moon's song, "Shut Up and Dance With Me." To close out the week, we met as a school to see the Rundown for Round 2 of the March Mammal Madness categories: The Only Ones and Roots and Relicts.
Math Lab
On Monday, Aim and Release Rebels worked together to tackle their choice of money management tasks. Some made physical models to help calculate the area and perimeter of the lawns they booked for their lawnmowing business. Others used calculators to check debit transactions and balance a bank account. On Wednesday, the Draw and Anchor team met to continue their business tasks, with some Rebels working together to make accurate transactions within $100 at the clothing store and others working hard to ensure the times of their bookings for babysitting services were correct in the analog format vs. digital format.
French
This week, we paused our project on countries to explore a related topic: La Francophonie. The Rebels read a text titled "What is La Francophonie?" which introduced them to different French accents and French language around the world. After reading, learners answered comprehension and vocabulary questions to reinforce their understanding. To finish on a fun note, they completed a word search using vocabulary related to La Francophonie. We also played the game "What's in my suitcase?" to work on everyday vocabulary.
Reader/Writer
For Reader Writer, we reviewed a piece of writing and looked for different mistakes, focusing on capitalization, punctuation, and spelling. Then, the Rebels got to work on editing their persuasive speech, making sure it made sense, and practicing it aloud for next week.
Civilizations
This week, our story moved the Rebels from India to China. On their maps, Rebels traced the path of a flying dragon from Mongolia, through the Gobi desert, to the border of Turkestan, to the Himalayas, past Tibet and Burma, through Vietnam and over the South China Sea, past Taiwan, north through Korea, and finally back to Peking near the Yellow River. At the time of our story, Peking was the largest city in the world! Rebels learned about the magnificent library of the fourth emperor of the Qing dynasty and heard stories about the highest spiritual Buddhist leader in Tibet, the Dalai Lama. They discussed if it is ok to burn books that speak negatively about leaders of a region and debated the type of city they would most like to live in: the largest, the wealthiest, the smartest, or the strongest.
Physical Development
On Tuesday, one group played freeze dance, and another group enjoyed a game of hockey led by one of our very own Discovery learners! On Thursday, the Rebels had the option to dance or play Zombie Tag in the Gym.
Quest
Welcome to Unit Economics Island, Rebels! We kicked off the week with a French fry challenge. Businesses grouped to form associations and had to investigate small fry portions from different locations of a famous franchise: McDonald's! Rebels learned about revenue, costs, and profit, and on Tuesday, we had a great discussion about a foundational concept: What's worth more, tenths or hundredths? How do we accurately use decimals to represent money amounts? With the Guide assuming the role of the Canada Revenue Agency, Rebels had to submit their French fry revenue, cost and profit analysis accurately to unlock a real French fry reward on Friday. Tuesday also introduced the Product Materials challenge, where Rebels had to itemize materials related to their business. Wednesday and Thursday, Rebels had time to follow steps in a series of product cost challenges that would illuminate their costs per unit and help them establish their "just right" pricing strategy. Unfortunately, some of the reported French fry profits did not make sense when reported to the CRA at the end of the week, so Rebels had to go back and review their revenue and costs.
Additional Highlights
On Friday, the Rebels organized their own hockey tournament, complete with a halftime show! What a Fun Friday it was!
Exploration Studio
Mindfulness and Launch
After free-choice mindfulness, Rebels guessed how many facial expressions humans make. Guesses ranged from 50 to 300, with the answer being four to six basic emotional facial expressions. This theory is held across all cultures in every part of the world. Rebels then got together in groups of three. One learner picked an emotion and expressed it as strongly as possible for 5 seconds, while a second Rebel took a video, and the third observed and tried to name the emotion. Watching the playback of the video, the group members rated the genuineness of each emotional expression on a scale of 1-10. It was a fun and dramatic way to begin the week, yet the purpose behind it was to work on our facial expressions as we began prepping for networking. Rebels chose between a walk or a Boomwhakers on Tuesday morning. Afterward, the school gathered for Round 1 of the Same Different division of March Mammal Madness. Rebels completed a logic puzzle Wednesday morning and worked on their cross-stitching, embroidering, and sewing projects. Thursday's yoga practice featured conscious breath work and our first class with a full sun salutation flow: mountain pose, forward fold, flat back, forward fold, plank or half-plank, baby cobra, power-up back to plank and ending in downward dog. Well done, Rebels! We then met back with the full school for the last Round 1 battles - The Tuxedo division. Friday morning, we conquered the Wordle, Connections, The Mini and Strands before the Spark and Discovery Rebels joined us for Round 2 of March Mammal Madness.
Math Lab
Rebels explored four visual patterns this week, working with their teams to describe how they saw the square tiles of each pattern changing, where they saw them in relation to the other squares, and tried to represent the patterns in increasingly abstract ways. To begin, we discussed one of the patterns as a studio, and various Rebels offered ideas about how they would show negative cases and how they would represent them by drawing. Eventually, we moved from drawing positive and negative extensions of these patterns on graph paper to using tables of values to show the cases and their values. Next week, we'll try to graph the patterns and find a way to reconcile both negative and partial cases.
French
The Rebels read a text titled "What is La Francophonie?" and then answered comprehension and vocabulary questions to reinforce their learning. They also completed a word search related to the theme to help solidify their vocabulary. Next, we played a Kahoot on «La Francophonie and French-speaking countries.» Lastly, we also wrote out our story about our object, focusing on the narrative structure and the writing quality.
Civilizations
Sugar has an unsavoury past. It has caused wars, slave trade, and a myriad of health problems across the globe. Despite sugar's negative effects, it continues to be a multi-billion dollar industry and the third most valuable crop in the world. After completing their research into where sugar originated and the history of sugar's rise to prominence as the "white gold" of the Caribbean, in small groups, Rebels discussed whether the Canadian government should pass laws discouraging the use of sugar to lower healthcare costs or whether Canadian citizens should have a right to eat whatever they want. They also debated whether sugar had a positive or negative overall impact on British civilization and international trade and the greatest negative impact of sugar.
Quest
On Monday, it was finally time to begin creating our sustainable businesses! Rebels began by creating a company name that expresses who they are while also bringing to mind their product or service. After brainstorming three options, they picked the one they felt fit the best. Those teaming up then moved on to how they would make decisions when there was a disagreement and wrote a company contract to ensure they had clear expectations, division of labour, and when they could ask a member to leave. It was then time to write their mission statements. A mission statement describes why a company exists—what needs to be done and who will do it. It is a blueprint for the present and near future. After reviewing a few examples, businesses drafted their mission statement by stating their purpose, who their company serves, and what their company values. It was then time to submit their product/service line! Rebels listed what they would be selling and who their target market was and reflected on whether it was truly a sustainable business. Lastly, Rebels worked on creating an action list of tasks that needed to be completed before the Exhibition and, if possible, assigned tasks to various members and set deadlines on the deliverables. On Tuesday, learners prepared for Wednesday's field trip to Value Village. Rebels submitted any supplies that they may need and then created an Action Plan for the next ten Quest periods. Their work lists needed to include who is doing what each day, deliverables, and deadlines. With any remaining time, Rebels got to work on their businesses. Before leaving for our field trip, we reviewed public transit etiquette and the plan for the afternoon. Rebels then buddied up, walked to the bus stop, and took OC Transpo to Value Village. For some learners, it was their first time on public transit, and they all did a great job of getting up for older riders and trying to hang on tight! Once at Value Village, the learners spread out, searching for business materials or completing a specially made scavenger hunt! After an hour and multiple fabulous finds later, we checked out and headed back to school on the #80! After a few days of planning and gathering supplies, it was time to get to work on Thursday! Several businesses have hit their flow, and we can't wait to see their final products at Exhibition!
Reader/Writer
In Reader Writer this week, Exploration learners worked on adding work they are proud of to their portfolio. Next week, the Rebels will take pictures of themselves with different outfits and items to post on their portfolio.
Apprenticeship Prep
Did you know that public speaking is often rated as the number one thing people fear? But while getting up on a stage in front of an audience can be nerve-wracking, many people find striking up a conversation one-on-one just as intimidating. Thursday, we worked on tools to help us make a new acquaintance or enter a new group. We reviewed SOFTEN UP (Smile, Open Arms, Forward Leaning, Touch, Eye Contact, Nodding, Undivided Attention, and Positivity) before working through a series of questions to help us start a conversation. We also learned the technique, YOU…YOU…ME…YOU. Basically, after the initial handshake and name exchange, get other people talking about themselves (YOU…YOU) by asking questions, showing interest, and following up with more questions to learn more about their background and interests. Then, find an opportunity to share something about yourself (...ME) and then try to end the conversation with a renewed focus on them (…YOU). Rebels agreed that a good strategy to make a great first impression is not by trying to impress other people with your qualities and success but by ensuring they walk away from the conversation feeling heard, valued and energized while also learning something positive and memorable about you. It was then time to put our lesson into action and practice role-playing a series of conversations, complete with introductions, active listening, and warm and cool feedback! Great work, Rebels!
Additional Highlights
As the year wears on, our learners have increasingly taken over our learner-driven systems. On Monday, the Audit Committee met to discuss their plans for tracking excellence and holding the learners accountable. On Tuesday, a group of learners also met at lunch to discuss Freedom Levels, what the responsibilities are as a Revel Rebel, what the freedoms they equate to and what the different level requirements should be. Hearing this group of middle schoolers discuss what they want for their community and how they will accomplish their goals is mindblowing!
Launchpad Studio
Model UN
Four of our learners are delegates from Friday to Sunday at this year's Capital Model UN hosted by the University of Ottawa! Two learners are on a dystopic committee discussing the cost of living crisis, the mental health epidemic, government corruption, corporate overreach, and gang warfare. Another is representing Saudia Arabia on the UNHCR committee, which is focused on finding solutions and programs to aid the refugees and civilians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo by formulating resolutions, allocating funding, and replacing MONUSCO. Our fourth learner is on an Ad Hoc committee as a judge.
Challenge and Change
Our learner advocated incorporating their Model UN experience as an assignment in their Challenge and Change course through R.I.S.E. They will take notes at their council meetings to prepare a podcast-style reflection on the experience and how it relates to the HSB4U course.
Archaeology
Once learner began and completed assignments up to Module 3, Lesson 4 of their Archaeology as Activism (Course 4) in their Rice University Introduction to Archaeology Specialization.
Communication & Literature
Three of our learners completed their choral reading of The Importance of Being Earnest on Friday morning. As the play came to its conclusion, there was laughter, surprise, and then sadness when we realized it was over. Next week, learners will hold their final discussion, watch the film, and choose a culminating task.
AP Language and Composition
As the course winds down this week, there was a reading on test-taking strategies like annotating and time management for the different sections of the AP exam. A final discussion on the forum served as a reflection, marking the most significant achievements and challenges throughout the course while replying to classmates' reflections.
AP Literature and Composition
This week, a learner completed an essay discussing how the descriptions of the wallpaper and the husband in The Yellow Wallpaper subtly characterize the narrator's emotional state. They also discussed the unit's work in a final discussion with fellow learners and took the unit quiz. The unit test is on Monday.
AP Biology
This was the last week of Unit 14, which focused on the Immune Response. Our learner worked hard to create flashcards and study for the unit test that needed to be taken early due to her commitment to the Model UN on the weekend. She also began reviewing for the final course exam through Johns Hopkins, which will take place in a couple of weeks.
Additional Highlights
Two Launchpad Rebels accompanied the Exploration Rebels on their field trip to Value Village. We greatly appreciate their willingness to volunteer their time and assistance!
Potential Discussion Ideas or Questions to Ask Your Rebel:
Spark Studio
What endangered animal did you learn about this week? Where does it live? Why is it endangered?
What can we do to help endangered animals?
What do you like about the spring season?
French: How do you say «vegetable» in French? (légume)
Discovery Studio
Tell me about the unit economics of your business. How much does it cost you to make one product? How will you price your product, and how does this affect your profits?
You hop on a time machine to a land where pennies are still used. You have two cents. How do you write this: 0.02 or 0.2? Why?
French: What is La Francophonie? (everyone who speaks French around the world.)
Exploration Studio
Where has sugar had the most significant negative impact: detrimental health effects or driving the slave trade and the African diaspora during the 17th to 19th centuries?
Rebels are expected to invest at least $200 dollars on the spring trip for train tickets and accommodations, plus more for food and activities. What is your personal fundraising goal, and how close are you to reaching it?
French: How many countries have French as their official language? (27)
Are you sticking to your Quest Action Plan? Do you feel like you are ahead, right on schedule, or behind with your business?
Launchpad Studio
How was your Model UN experience? What was your greatest challenge? What was your most significant victory? Would you participate again?
What did you enjoy most about reading The Importance of Being Earnest: spending time with the other LP learners on the same project, Oscar Wilde's writing, bringing the characters to life, or something else?
How are your independent courses and core skills progressing? Do you need any support?
Important Upcoming Dates
Discovery Journey Meetings with Amy - Monday, March 24th - Friday, March 28th
The Zoo Crew Presentation for Sparks- Thursday, March 27th at 1:00 pm
Session 5 Exhibitions
Discovery Exhibition - Tuesday, April 1st at 4:15 pm
Spark Exhibition - Wednesday, April 2nd at 4:15 pm
Exploration Exhibition - Thursday, April 3rd at 4:15 pm
Sessional Break and Art Camp - Monday, April 7th - Friday, April 11th
Good Friday (No School) - Friday, April 18th
Easter Monday (No School) - Monday, April 21st
Guardian Book Club (The Anxious Generation) - Wednesday, April 23rd at 6:30 pm in the Exploration Studio of Reve